Triple or nothing

>> The pieces fall into place for
Toronto trio Born Ruffians

HOODS IN THE BOYS: Born Ruffians

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

If it’s true that success in the topsy-turvy world of the music industry is equal parts talent, timing and luck, then Toronto’s Born Ruffians are definitely three for three. When the trio had just finished their 2006 demo EP, it found its way to the desks at Warp Records just as the label was looking for bands to add to its roster. Not to say that Born Ruffians were wet behind the ears when they inked their four-record deal with the indie giant—they had been cutting their teeth for five years already, touring the world with bands like Caribou, Peter Björn and John and Hot Chip.

As far as talent goes, Born Ruffians possess a quirky pop sensibility that runs rampant on their newly released record, Red, Yellow and Blue. Singer/guitarist Luke Lalonde has a knack for nakedly confessional lyrics engineered to make indie hipsters swoon and classic rockers squirm. If their recent sold-out SXSW showcase is any indication, the hype is steadily building around this Toronto trio, with bigger things on the immediate horizon. Perhaps their biggest moment thus far will be later on in the week when, mere days after their Montreal show within the cozy confines of the Casa del Popolo, the band plays one of the most prestigious festivals around, the U.K.’s All Tomorrows Parties—curated this year by the tastemakers extraordinaire at Pitchfork Media.

“I guess we’ve been pretty lucky so far, but I was looking at the line-up [at ATP], and it’s just crazy,” says drummer Steve Hamelin. “It’s obviously the biggest thing we’ve ever done, and we’re psyched, but we’re also getting pretty nervous about it. It’s actually pretty intimidating.”

Part of Born Ruffians’ trepidation could be attributed to the wake left by Canadian bands like Wolf Parade, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene and others. “Because there have been so many good Canadian bands touring the U.S. right now, it’s definitely a good thing to be considered Canadian. It helps, but what it comes down to is, if you’re shit, you’re shit, and people won’t care where you come from.”

Despite their rough and tumble moniker, these bookish chaps hardly live up to their name. Their current tour has been fairly devoid of debauchery and debasement, but thankfully, Montreal still marks a place in their hearts. “We don’t really have any wild and crazy road stories because most of the time, we’re just concerned with getting from one place to another, but the last time we played Montreal was pretty nuts. We had played at the Green Room and we didn’t have a place to stay, so we decided we would stay up all night. I don’t want to give away any names, but there was a lot of consumption and it ended up with a member of our band fainting and suffering head trauma. We had to go to the hospital to get this person stitches and then we had to wander around Montreal until morning when we sobered up so we could drive back to Toronto. Thankfully, we definitely have our shit together a little better now.”

With Young Rival at Casa
del Popolo on Saturday,
April 19, 9 p.m., $12